Exceptional People

Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped our World and Will Define our Future (Princeton University Press, 2011)

by Ian Goldin, Geoffrey Cameron and Meera Balarajan

Throughout history, migrants have fueled the engine of human progress. Their movement has sparked innovation, spread ideas, relieved poverty, and laid the foundations for a global economy. In a world more interconnected than ever before, the number of people with the means and motivation to migrate will only increase. Exceptional People looks at the profound advantages that such dynamics will have for countries and migrants the world over. Challenging the received wisdom that a dramatic growth in migration is undesirable, the book proposes new approaches for governance that will embrace this international mobility.

Reviews and endorsements:

“A sweeping and constructive study. With a deep sense of what sort of creatures we humans are, this book takes us through millennia in the unending quest of people for development and discovery. It suggests that population movements have been the carriers of innovation from one region to others. It will change, if anything can, the way governments and international organizations view immigration policy.”– Edmund S. Phelps, Nobel Prize-winning economist

“Goldin is clear… that the problems of a world with more open borders are being inadequately addressed.”– James Crabtree, Financial Times

“Migration is not a zero-sum game; it brings great benefits to the receiving country, the sending country, and to migrants themselves. That is the clear message of the evidence from history, economics, and the social sciences more generally. This wise book assembles that evidence in a very thoughtful, careful, and scholarly way, making an enormous contribution to this crucial subject and providing fundamental guidance on one of the key issues of our times.”– Lord Nicholas Stern, London School of Economics and Political Science

“This is a book of bold ambitions ably fulfilled. Mr. Goldin and his co-authors offer a history of migration, from man’s earliest wanderings in Africa to the present day. . . . After filling in the historical background, the authors give a rigorous but readable guide to the costs and benefits of modern migration.” — The Economist

“This clear and lively book is the most skillful articulation of the case for the liberalization of international migration. The authors consistently present migration’s benefits, but do not ignore migration’s costs or shy away from controversy. It makes an important argument on an important subject, and deserves to be widely read.”– Kathleen Newland, Migration Policy Institute

“[A]n essential read . . . [the authors’] arguments are buttressed by a deep understanding of the past, a comprehensive engagement with the present, and a clear vision of the future.” — Sarah Hackett, Times Higher Education

“In Exceptional People, the authors carry out an evenhanded assessment of the costs and benefits of international migration. They find that all involved–the countries that receive immigrants, those that send them, and immigrants most of all–prosper when movement across borders is allowed without hindrance. Anti-immigration campaigners who consult Exceptional People will encounter hard-to-refute arguments that favor free movement; advocates of open borders will find in the book the data and reasoning they need to fortify their case.” — Karunesh Tuli, ForeWord Reviews

“Goldin’s conclusion is that western governments should simply accept the inevitable and open their borders, in line with economic demand–albeit within the framework of some pan-national treaty and institution. After all, as he points out, it is odd that there is no global body to oversee the movement of people, as there is with finance and trade. If that liberalization occurred, he thinks it would deliver an ‘economic boost as high as $39,000bn over 25 years’. More surprisingly, he also argues that a ‘tipping point’ will be reached soon, which could shift the political debate. As world population levels stabilize in the next 50 years, a global labor shortage could prompt fierce competition for migrants.” — Gillian Tett, Financial Times

“Exceptional People is an absorbing study albeit academic. It strongly advocates the need to establish a global migration agenda and clearly shows that the advantages of migration far outweigh the disadvantages: Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future.”– Arab News

“Exceptional People is an excellent book. It would make a great addition to readings lists for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses dealing extensively with migration. Its wide scope will provide plenty of ideas for new academic projects, and its conclusions invite reflection and further discussion.”– Chris Minns, EH.net

“Migratory movements have been a persistent component of the human condition, and motivation for migration has varied considerably over time and with respect to the world’s constantly shifting political and economic realities. This excellent book provides a broad history of migration. . . . required reading for anyone interested in the future implications of this most compelling of human activities.”– Choice

“Exceptional People is packed with surprising insights. . . . this is a book of bold ambitions ably fulfilled.”– Daily Star, Bangladesh

Review inJournal of Regional Science James Raymer, Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, Australian National University